The chicken carcass from last night became a broth, while Fleisher’s beef shanks seared then braised in wine and some of said broth, and more demi-glace. Instead of simple saffron flavor, I stirred in more of the pesto, again from last night, and some local sheep feta at the end. The meat liquid reduced to a yummy thick pan sauce, and I steamed up some broccoli in the meat pan towards the end. Yellow tomato, cucumber, and radish salad helped keep a late-summer feeling to what is really an early-fall meal. Tomorrow such semantics will be irrelevant. We drank a 2000 La Dame de Montrose, which despite being a second wine was still young and tight, needing a few more years to relax; after an hour in the decanter, beautifully integrated fruit and leather flavors began to emerge and escape the tannins’ grip. It augurs well for the beauty and longevity of the greater Bordeaux from 2000.
